Pirate Latitudes

A Novel

The Caribbean, 1665. Pirate captain Charles Hunter, with backing from a powerful ally, assembles a crew of ruffians to take the Spanish galleon, "El Trinidad," guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself.

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One of the weaker Chrichton novels. You can see why he put it in a drawer and chose not to release it... until his estate did. It feels half finished and seems to have been padded for length with some silly bits in the last third. But you see flashes of Chrichton's research and cleverness.

This rollicking tale is chock full of blackguards, privateers, seamen, whores, villainous Spaniards, kraken, betrayal, hurricanes, cannibals, and more. The plot is strictly B movie, but it’s full of swashbuckling action. The squeamish reader need not apply, but the brutality and death, though prodigious in quantity, are relatively civilized by today’s standard. This novel was discovered among Crichton’s effects after his untimely death. It’s not among his best work, but it’s a fun read if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted and gory pirate story.

A great rollicking ride of a book, Chrichton builds fantastical characters for a true piratical adventure. I'm very impressed with the amount of research he put into this book, yet it reads easily and smoothly. Definitely recommended for lovers of adventure, pirates, and/or historic novels!

I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Agree with some of the previous comments. Yes it seemed not quite finished ( or maybe I just wanted more!) and some parts were a little rushed. Very violent and includes a few sex scenes but not pornographic in detail, so not suitable for younger readers. Intend to get my friend - who lives in Tunbridge Wells - to check out the graveyard!

Prospero_II
Aug 24, 2012

Okay story with great action scenes but reads like a movie outline and not a complete novel. Could have been great read if he had put more of his creative genius into it.